Fireball World Championship - Penultimate day in Pattaya

To borrow a phrase from the most famous Scottish football manager of recent times (though maybe not the most loved Scottish football manager of all times), with the penultimate day of the 2014 Fireball Worlds now completed, it is squeaky-bum time for the top three crews (plural) at the regatta in Pattaya, hosted by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club.

In a Skype phone-call to FI Commodore Joe Jospe yesterday (Wednesday second) this correspondent was able to confirm that the regatta, despite its small fleet has been very competitive and the visitors have been exceptionally well looked after by the club, its members and its staff. The sailing conditions have been glorious and while Joe acknowledged the various reasons why people weren’t there, he did say that those who have gone have enjoyed an exceptional two weeks.

The Australian combination of Schulz and Sheppard won the day in terms of aggregate points scoring a 1, 2 for a daily total of 3pts to the British combinations who each had a five point tally for the day. Birrell and Brearey stay atop the log but their lead is down to a single point and Sculz and Sheppard are only three points away. Hence the reference to Sir Alex Ferguson’s description of the last stages of a Premier League campaign!

While the British and Aussie crews fight for positions on the podium and in the top five overall, the pecking order of other the nationalities is being hotly contested slightly further back.

Conditions for Race 7 today were similar to Race 6, with the advantage being on the left-hand-side even though this was into a steeper chop. The reaches were very challenging and even the very small mistakes were expensive in terms of place losses.

Race 8 saw an increase in the breeze and a bunched fleet at the first weather mark. The leaders played their own game amongst themselves and the mid-fleet race started with a capsize on the weather mark by Christina and several out of control Fireballs on the reaches. Team Sargeant, Bryan and William, GBR 14887, then capsized to allow their immediate competitors to get away. The last reach was sufficiently tight that the more intelligent of the mid-fleeters decided that discretion was the better part of valour and two-sailed it. This prompted a bunch finish at the end of the day.

Tomorrow’s last two races will be equivalent to the gun-fight at the OK Corrall, while the rest of the fleet will be doing their best to defend positions hard won after four days of hard but idyllic racing. Conditions are forecast to be light! Racing gets underway at 11:00 local time (04:00 British time).

Results

1

GBR 15107

Christian Birrell, Sam Brearey

14.0

1

1

(dsq )

1

2

4

2

3

2

GBR 15087

Nathan Batchelor, Sam Pascoe

15.0

2

2

3

3

3

1

(4 )

1

3

AUS 15062

Ben Schulz, Doug Sheppard

17.0

(4 )

4

4

2

1

3

1

2

4

AUS 15071

Thomas Gordon, Jack Fletcher

26.0

5

3

5

(8 )

4

2

3

4

5

AUS 15048

Heather MacFarlane, Chris Payne

30.0

3

(6 )

1

4

5

6

5

6

6

AUS 15032

Greg Allison, Allen Blenkle

35.0

7

5

2

5

(dnf )

5

6

5

7

CAN 15024

Joe Jospe, Tom Egli

53.0

6

(11 )

6

10

7

8

7

9

8

FRA 14793

Erich Moser, Jean-Francois Nouel

55.0

8

9

8

7

6

9

(10 )

8

9

GBR 15092

Veronica Falat, Ben Falat

57.0

9

7

9

6

8

11

(dnf )

7

10

AUS 14814

Steve Goacher, Peter Crossley

63.0

(10 )

8

10

9

10

7

9

10

11

AUS 14812

Dick McCulloch, Glenn Stewart

70.0

12

10

7

(dnf )

9

13

8

11

12

GBR 14887

Bryan Sargeant, William Sargeant

86.0

13

12

13

13

14

10

11

(17)

13

SUI 14859

Christina Haerdi-Landerer, Cedric Landerer

91.0

11

14

12

11

13

(15 )

15

15

14

RSA 14901

David Laing, Mark Dee

92.0

14

13

(16 )

15

11

12

14

13

15

AUS 14510

Jim Hughes, Tom Hughes

93.0

15

(19 )

11

12

12

14

13

16

16

AUS 15011

Jaline Thompson-Kambas, Cameron Philcox

104.0

17

18

14

16

15

(dns )

12

12

17

AUS 15076

Tim Ninnes, Taylor Neighbour

107.0

16

15

15

14

16

(dnf )

17

14

18

SUI 14921

Maja Suter, Thomas Boehm

120.0

19

16

17

17

17

(dnf )

16

18

19

AUS 14265

Kevin Luff, Peta Luff

135.0

21

21

18

19

(dnf )

16

18

dnc

20

AUS 14747

Daniel Wolch, Alan Schaiars

138.0

20

20

19

18

(dns )

17

dnc

dnc

21

THA 10338

Jirawat Jodkby, Dylan Whitcraft

145.0

18

17

(dnf)

dnf

dnc

dnc

dnc

dnc

Comments (via Facebook):

Ben Schulz (AUS 15062) – First and a second today! Pretty tight at the top with two races to go! Keep it simple, two wins required. No pressure :-)